I Want a Dog: My Opinion Essay (Darcy Pattison & Ewa O'Neill)

Hurrah for Essays! All writing lessons should be this much fun.

When cousins Dennis and Mellie decide to get a dog, they consider carefully what breed would be best for each family. For example, Dennis wants a big dog, but Mellie wants tiny. He has no other pets, but she has other pets that a dog must get along with. They consider different dog personalities, family situations, and personal preferences. Dennis writes an opinion essay for his teacher, Mrs. Shirky. But will his essay convince his parents to get the dog of his dreams?

This story takes a popular subject--kids getting a pet--and adds dogs of all sizes and shapes: all writing lessons should be this much fun. In the end, it's cousins and the dogs that keep a reader turning the page. What kind of dog will Dennis choose? Will Mellie want the same kind of dog?

Product details:

• Hardcover: 36 pages
• ISBN-10: 1629440124
• ISBN-13: 978-1629440125
• Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.25 x 8.5 inches
• Publisher: Mims House (December 30, 2014)
• Reading level: 6 - 12 years
• Language: English

About the Authors:

Growing up, author Darcy Pattison (darcypattison.com) wanted to be an astronaut. Instead, she writes about aliens in her early chapter book series, ALIEN, INC. SERIES (Mims House), which includes Kell, the Alien; Kell and the Horse Apple Parade; Kell and the Giants; and Kell and the Detectives. Published in eight languages, her middle grade novels include: Saucy and Bubba: A Hansel and Gretel Tale (Mims House); The Girl, the Gypsy and the Gargoyle (Mims House); and Vagabond (Mims House). Recent nature books for children include: Abayomi, the Brazilian Puma: The True Story of an Orphaned Cub (Mims House); Wisdom, the Midway Albatross (Mims House), a Starred Review in Publisher's Weekly; Desert Baths (Arbordale), an NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book 2013; and, Prairie Storms (Arbordale). Darcy Pattison is the 2007 recipient of Arkansas Governor's Arts Awards for her work in Children's Literature. For more seedarcypattison.com/about

In her debut picture book, Ewa O'Neill (ewaoneill.com) creates art that is luscious, inventive, and colorful, bringing the story energy and humor. A dog-lover herself, Ewa (pronounced Ĕ-va) gives each breed a personality that helps kids begin to tell dog breeds apart.